Laps – Failing to Add-Up

Laps is a puzzle game based around manipulation of numbers. A lot of puzzle games seek to do this, but Laps manages to exemplify the genre and demonstrate how it’s meant to be done.

A simple circle with a pattern of even numbers. That’s all the game board is. Going around the circle will be a random number close to the numbers already present on the board. All’s the player does it throw the number off of its orbital path and it will bounce to the centre-most point available to it.

Very simple mechanics, but the crux of the gameplay is matching the numbers continuously. Similar in style to Candy Crush in matching the same types, or other number-based games of its ilk, as you match the same numbers together in groups of 3 or more, they combine into their cumulative sum, moving further inwards and working upwards. This makes the gameplay one of continuously matching similar numbers in order to try and get a higher total.

This means that you have a finite amount of time to actually match numbers, as once your laps total depletes, the game is over and it records your score.

However, every single time the numbers floating round the circle pass the uppermost point, your laps total goes down. This means that you have a finite amount of time to actually match numbers, as once your laps total depletes, the game is over and it records your score.

In matching numbers to bigger and bigger totals, you do however gain additional laps to utilise. This allows you to prolong your game massively, making it possible to achieve extremely high scores.

As you gain additional high scores, the game awards experience points that then give you additional starting laps in a new game. In this way, Laps strives to give the player a reason to keep playing; not only does the player have the urge to get a higher score, he can more easily achieve it by playing more.

This sense of forced replayability does do its job and encourage the player to come back, but the reason itself seems overly forced and false.

This sense of forced replayability does do its job and encourage the player to come back, but the reason itself seems overly forced and false.

The problem with Laps is that, while its core gameplay is enjoyable and interesting, there really isn’t any real reason to keep playing; the scores don’t mean anything, nor does gaining additional laps, if the game doesn’t actively change or progress the more you play.

Without any kind of forward progression or change in gameplay, it is difficult to find a reason to continue playing. There are other game modes that you have to unlock through paying, but they don’t seem to be anything that different except for altering the game speed.

Laps is certainly a fun concept with a great game style. It is easy to see that a certain type of player could become addicted to upping the number of starting laps and game longevity. However, without any further progression or differing gameplay as the game progresses, Laps remains a brief distraction, a numerical puzzle that holds you captive briefly before failing to entice you back.